Book Review: ‘The Children of Jocasta’ by Natalie Haynes

The Children of Jocasta is a Greek Myth retelling by author Natalie Haynes.

Split between two timelines and spanning several decades, we begin following the lives of Jocasta and her youngest daughter Ismene when they are both fifteen years old. Jocasta is sent to the palace to marry the old and extremely indifferent king. There she suffers many years of hardship, heartbreak and depression until the charming Oedipus, a man half her age, arrives to awaken her back to life. Ismene knows she is the forgotten and most overlooked member of the royal household but everything changes when an infiltrator stabs her and leaves her for dead. With her parents deaths occurring ten years before, Ismene knows that her attack is a sign that everything is once again about to change for her family.

I picked up a few mythological-themed fiction books because, while I enjoy myths and legends, my experience so far has been entirely with non-fiction books. Of the novels I chose, Jocasta’s story was the one I knew the least about. I wasn’t until Oedipus arrived on the scene that I was able to shake loose a couple of memories about what happened in his story but for the most part the story of Jocasta and her children were completely new to me.

According to the author’s note at the end of the book, there are a lot of conflicting versions about the lives of Jocasta and her children. Apparently even the number of her children is in question so Haynes chose to keep things simple with two sons and two daughters. In the note Haynes explains that for The Children of Jocasta she was most heavily influenced by the plays of Sophocles and then altered and embellished the story where needed to make the timelines fit. I’m not familiar with the Sophocles’ plays so I am unable to make a comparison but my lack of familiarity with Jocasta’s story did make me want to research her and learn more about her legend.

The dual timelines give the story a sense of tragic inevitability. From Ismene’s story we know that the four children are orphaned. What we, the reader, don’t know is how or why. Through Jocasta’s story we gradually learn the truth and discover how Ismene’s secluded palace life came to pass.

I thought both Jocasta and Ismene were strong characters in terms of their complexities. They are not perfect heroes, they have flaws and desires, and both are victims of circumstances beyond their control. A young Jocasta’s arranged marriage to the king and Ismene’s position by birth as the youngest female member of her family mean that both women are trapped within social limitations. They are physically and mentally isolated from the rest of the world and both crave a life of freedom and love. Whereas Jocasta tries to seize political power where she can, Ismene knows she has to be more subtle and secretive to achieve her goals.

The Children of Jocasta was an interesting insight into some of the Ancient Greek figures I was less familiar with. While I did feel the pacing of the story slowed in the middle, the build-up and scene setting at the beginning combined with the fast-paced reveals at the end made for an entertaining novel.

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